What constitutes serving size/how is the serving size chosen for certain foods?
In: Other
For a lot of products, the serving size is set low enough to get each serving under 0.5 grams of trans fat, so they can legally put “0 trans fat” on the label.
Serving sizes are the arbitrary division of a food based on how much they expect you to eat or drink in one sitting.
For example, many drinks will based it on 8 or 12 oz, which is a serving of water. But some have begun to realize that you aren’t sharing a 20oz of Pepsi, and put the values for the whole bottle.
By giving the nutritional values based on a specific amount, the consumer can technically make a more informed decision on their eating habits. Though, packaging can still be deceiving.
For example, Pop-Tarts are given with a single pastry as the serving size, but they’re packaged in pairs. This makes it seem like a healthier option than other snacks, because the values are halved compared to what you are likely eating.
[deleted]
They’re specified by federal regulation, based on a surprisingly expansive survey of how much people eat.
> A serving size is the amount of food customarily consumed (i.e., typically eaten) in one sitting for that food (section 403(q)(1)(A)(i) of the FD&C Act).
>Serving sizes are determined from the RACCs established in [21 CFR 101.12(b)](https://www.accessdata.fda.gov/scripts/cdrh/cfdocs/cfcfr/cfrsearch.cfm?fr=101.12) and the procedures described in [21 CFR 101.9(b)](https://www.accessdata.fda.gov/scripts/cdrh/cfdocs/cfcfr/CFRSearch.cfm?fr=101.9).
> A serving size should be written in a common household measure (e.g., cup, tablespoon, piece, slice, fraction (e.g., 1/4 pizza), ounce (oz), fluid ounce (fl oz), or other common household equipment used to package food products (e.g., jar, tray)) as defined under 21 CFR 101.9(b)(5).
Latest Answers